Study Ties Early and Late Exposure to Solid Food to Risk of Type 1 Diabetes

A new finding focuses on when is the right time to introduce solid food in the diet of an infant as both early and late first exposure to solids has a negative effect on the baby's health.

It is a real challenge for parents to decide when to give solid foods to their babies for the first time. It is like reaching a milestone and parents prefer to give the best to their growing baby. 

Cautioning parents about the health hazards associated with getting the timing of introduction to solids wrong, the new study reveals that both early and late first exposure to solids for infants is linked with the risk of developing type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM).

One of the most common diseases prevailing in both children and adolescents is diabetes. Nearly 151,000 people below the age of 20 years suffer from diabetes. When this disease hits during childhood it is assumed as type 1 or juvenile onset diabetes. Each year, more than 13,000 young people are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, reports Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. T1DM is rapidly growing around the world in kids below 5 years.

This study was led by Brittni Frederiksen, M.P.H., Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado, Aurora, and colleagues. The researchers examined the link between perinatal and infant exposures. They mainly concentrated on early infant diet and the development of T1DM. They conducted a screening of the newborns' umbilical cord blood for diabetes vulnerability in the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) region. This was performed at St. Joseph's Hospital in Denver and first degree relatives of individuals with T1DM were selected from Denver area.

They noticed that both early and late exposure to solid food was linked with the development of T1DM. Scientists suggest that parents should not introduce solid food to babies below 4 months and should not delay exposure to solid food beyond 6 months of age as both of these are linked to T1DM. The hazard ratio of T1DM below 4 months is 1.91and more than 6 month is 3.02.

They noticed that early exposure to fruits and late exposure to rice or oats was linked with elevated risk of T1DMB with the hazard ratio being 2.23 and 2.88, respectively. On the other hand, breastfeeding along with introduction of wheat or barley was associated with a lower risk of T1DM.

"Our data suggest multiple foods/antigens play a role and that there is a complex relationship between the timing and type of infant food exposures and T1DM risk. In summary, there appears to be a safe window in which to introduce solid foods between 4 and 5 months of age; solid foods should be introduced while continuing to breastfeed to minimize T1DM risk in genetically susceptible children. These findings should be replicated in a larger cohort for confirmation," the authors conclude.

The study was published in JAMA Pediatrics.